Last Sunday night I was READY. My favorite TV show was about to start! So I nuked the popcorn with seconds to spare and sat there with a hot bag o'corn, some A&W Root Beer, and a 3 Musketeers bar. Yes, I was salivating ... but not for the junk food. For Eric. And Bill. And Sam. And fangs and blood and mayhem. TRUEBLOOD had arrived!

Or so I thought. A RERUN, HBO? Really? Are you kidding me? I pay extra for HBO so I can watch TRUEBLOOD, not to see those lame-ass movies you run over and over again all month long. I want vampires. I neeeeeed vampires. And reruns just won't do it. We all waited so long for the new season to begin.

Remember the night of the season premiere a few weeks ago, fellow Truebies? Were we excited, or WHAT? An hour of pure bliss, after which my thirst for vampire fiction was temporarily slaked, as was my thirst for Eric the vamp. Yes, Bill is handsome, too, but I just can't resist a bad boy.

An amazing episode, although when viewers have to wait months and months for the new season of any series to begin, is it ever possible to live up to that level of anticipation and excitement? But I could be won over easily, since I wasn't as thrilled with Season Two as most fans were -- I hated that demonic bull-chick/hypnotic orgies story arc.

But the premiere was exciting, cool, satisfying, and the two episodes since have added new dimensions to the show, and opened up new possibilities. A 2800-year-old vampire King of Mississippi? One who may wage an out-and-out war against the vamp Queen of Louisiana? Sounds like brutality, subterfuge, power-grabs, and rebellion may be coming our way in the weeks ahead. Fun, fun, fun. Now, at times I've not been crazy about the vampire royalty thing, only because I don't much like it when my favorite hunky, manly vamps get all snively and kiss-ass-y around bigshot fanglords (Eric, when around the bitchy queen of the vampire universe, turns into a meek little mouse of a vamp. Aggghhh!). But Bill has had his moments of feisty rebellion (has Sookie rubbed off on him, one wonders?) in The King's presence, and more may be coming, if Sookie continues to be endangered by The King.

I love watching TRUEBLOOD. Love it. Although not quite as much as I love BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, another vampire series that pushed (and occasionally shredded) the outside of the envelope. In fact, I couldn't help noticing, from the very first episode of the very first season of TRUEBLOOD, the similarities between the two shows. More than minor, barely noticeable similarities.

I mean, think about it ...

The lead character in each series is a damsel (Sookie/Buffy) who may not be in distress, but who, in half the episodes, must be rescued or at least protected -- more often than not, by one of two rivals (Bill & Eric/Angel & Spike). In the other half of the episodes, she does rescuing.

Both damsels have some sort of supernatural powers -- Sookie's telepathy and new-found, if not understood, zapping power/Buffy's Slayer strength & quick-healing abilities.

There's a do-gooder vampire (Bill/Angel) who gets frustrated dealing with the trouble-making, hot vampire (Eric/Spike) who starts out bad bad bad, but who eventually develops a soft spot (or at least lust) for the damsel. Sure, Eric has more class than Spike. But really, who doesn't?

Damsel has a sibling (Jason/Dawn) (Ok, I have to admit they are polar opposites -- the horndog and the virginal schoolgirl.)

Each damsel has a group of friends (Tara, Lafayette, Sam)/(Scooby gang members Willow, Xander, Cordelia, Oz, Anya) they can count on when bizarre situations arise. And arise, they do, with unceasing frequency. One has a friend who is a werewolf (Buffy & Oz), the other one's friend is a shape-shifter (Sookie & Sam). Shape-shifters are more versatile and a whole lot cooler than werewolves if you ask me, and Sam is handsomer than Oz, but let's not get picky.

Being a BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER fanatic, no wonder I can't get enough of TRUEBLOOD.

However, there's one thing TRUEBLOOD has that BUFFY never could have gotten away with on broadcast TV, even if Spike did come close a few times: Eric Northman, manly hunk o' Viking vampire, absolutely butt-nekkid.